All my friends call me Martha

Travel

August 10, 2017

Another weekend away...this time a sneaky visit to our nations capital - Canberra. I say it was sneaky as we have dear friends living in Canberra but this weekend was about just John and I as we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. The Hyatt Hotel was our choice for a weekend of luxury, we were spoilt with a wonderful room, amazing buffet breakfast every day, drinks in front of the fire in the evening and visits to the clubhouse for a swim and spa - total indulgance.

We did venture out of the hotel for some sightseeing, first stop (as it was such a stunning day) was Black Mountain Tower with its sweeping views of Canberra.

Next it was the Australian War Memorial. Sadly it has been a long time since I visited this amazing museum. Do yourself a favour and if you find yourself in Canberra put it on the top of the list - it truly is a remarkable exhibition and well worth a few hours!

It was truffle season and we were lucky enough to enjoy a degustation meal at one of our favourite restaurants - The OTIS Dining Hall - OMG delicious!!!!

There are some amazing vineyards close to Canberra so we may or may not have stopped in to sample a few wines....and a few made it into the back of our car...oops!

Ahhh I love a good weekend away, recharge the batteries, fresh air, good company, great food and wine - whats not to love...right!???

August 06, 2017

Gotta love a weekend away...a mini-break....we have had a few lately LOL. First up we flew up to Coffs Harbour to visit family, such a great weekend away and with magical winter weather it was just perfect!

Just over an hour flight from Sydney and less than 10 minutes to family from the airport its an easy weekend away. The arrival and departure flight with spectacular views did not disappoint. A drive on Saturday afternoon saw us rediscover Nana Glen and Woolgoolga..lots of photo opportunities.

Sadly it was Sunday before we knew it and time to fly home...back to reality...another busy week was awaiting!

March 29, 2017

Finally, nearly two months after we flew back into Sydney am I finding the time to blog about the final part of our wonderful family holiday...the Caribbean!

After a wonderful but exhausting, action packed 12 nights in New York we were ready to relax on our cruise. We sailed out of New Jersey (just around the corner from NYC) on a fairly gloomy winters day...bound for sunshine! All aboard the amazing "Anthem of the Seas", one of Royal Caribbeans larger ships and only a few years old. What a beauty, she is 348 m long and has 20 decks with a capacity to keep 4900 passengers happy!

Sailing out of New Jersey we had three days at sea, time to relax and explore this amazing ship...hmmm there may or may not have been an awful lot of yummy food consumed also during this time....this amazing photo was taken from inside the 'North Star' an observation tower which highlights just what an amazing ship it is!

We shared a stateroom with a balcony, we figured we were only going to our room to sleep...actually there was plenty of space for the four of us and surprisingly lots of storage. The beauty of a 12 night cruise is you can unpack then put your suitcases under the beds. The girls double bed sofa was pulled out every night and made up as a bed.

The first stop on our cruise was PUERTO RICO (actually still part of the USA), we arrived in the afternoon and didn't sail again until later that night giving us plenty of time to explore and even sample a few frozen margaritas at a local bar...so much fun!

From here we sailed to the island of ST MAARTEEN ...half French, half Dutch...two countries, one island! We explored ourselves after catching a water taxi from the ship dock into the main beach..then it was time to negotiate a 'deal' on deck chairs and beers...it was a hard day walking from under our umbrella on our deck chair to the oceans edge to dive in after a cold beer LOL...well someone has to do it..right!

Next stop the island of ANTIGUA, I have to say not our favourite...we arrived on a Sunday and sadly everything was closed...we should have negotiated a driver with one of the many that appeared from nowhere once the shop docked and spent the day exploring one of the many beaches (apparently there are over 100 beaches around the island)...still we enjoyed exploring the port town then headed back to ship to enjoy its many facilities (without having to share them).

Next stop BARBADOS (one of our favourites)...we had booked a shore excursion to sail on a catamaran and swim with turtles...as amazing as it sounds! We had a wonderful day, the water was amazing and swimming up close and personal with such majestic creatures like turtles 'in the wild'...well what can I say truly a holiday highlight!

MARTINIQUE was a great port to discover, very French and very local with loads of history.

Turns out its famous for rum and pirates!!!!!

Another day another island...this time the beautiful ST KITTS & NEVIS and another booked shore excursion this time swimming with dolphins!!!!!!

YES there were photos taken of both John and I with the dolphins...but...ahem can't compete with these two pics...couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces!!!

Now I could go on and on about the ship telling you about ALL the amazing restaurants and choices of food, loads of activities, spa, pool area, evening shows, cocktails etc etc but you get the picture we had a FABULOUS time...

March 18, 2017

New York part two..the Brooklyn addition. After an amazing 6 nights in New York City we headed to Brooklyn keen to experience another area, we had booked 6 nights in an apartment which proved to be the perfect base for us to explore.

We really enjoyed seeing New York from "the other side" and it was nice to spread out in an apartment even cook the odd meal and "eat in'. We explored the trendy areas of Dumbo and Williamsburg discovering the famous One Girl Cookies for Instagram worthy coffee and cookies, enjoyed a delicious "Happy Birthday to Taylor" lunch at Atrium Restaurant and of course snapped away at the famous Brooklyn Bridge....

It seems everywhere we went there was a fabulous WALL...just worthy of a photo or two....

We were lucky enough to be on American soil when the famous "super bowl" was being played....not content with just one footy game we decided on a "day of sport" and took ourselves off to a local A-league basketball game at the famous Barclays Centre one of the BROOKLYN NETS, so much fun. Then it was off to shop for supplies then home to the apartment just in time to turn on the TV and tune into an amazing game of American football....with its famous last minute decider. Now we are not usually 'footy fans' but fun to get into the spirit of the local once a year event.

So glad we made the decision to 'change up' our New York visit and stay in Brooklyn as well, it certainly gave us a different perspective. Before we knew it our time was up and we were once again packing our bags this time bound for New Jersey (just around the corner) and the fabulous Royal Carribbean's "Anthem of the Seas", destination...none other than the Caribbean...watch this space!!!

March 05, 2017

We are just back from our amazing family holiday and I am even more in love with NEW YORK than I was before!!!

We stayed 12 nights in this magical city 'that never sleeps', we walked and walked and explored every inch. Our hotel was fabulous, the Park Lane Hotel a great location opposite Central Park ad next to the Plaza Hotel, it offered lots of extras like $ credit to spend at the hotel each day and "happy hour" every evening as well as spacious rooms (the four of us shared a room) and floor to ceiling windows with spectacular views across the park....

Although content to just immerse ourselves in this magical city there were a few "tourist attractions" to tick off our list and we had a great day visiting Ellis Island and Lady Liberty, took in the spectacular views at Top of the Rock and paid our respects at the 9/11 Memorial.

The weather was very kind to us and although it was at times chilly we were happy to rug up in our coats and scarves and embrace a 'real winter' (quite a novelty to a Sydneysider lol). We had hoped that it would snow at least once during our stay, Taylor and Lilly have never seen snow, how special if the 'first time' was in NYC??!!

The day after we saw this sign our dream came true...snow...powdery, perfect, movie like snow...and we were in Chelsea exploring the The High Line it could not have been any more perfect...the girls reaction was priceless.

June 14, 2016

Last week we headed in to the city late one afternoon to have an early dinner, catch a few highlights of Vivid then catch the Manly very home...

Sydney you turned it on for us....a beautiful balmy winter evening, a delicious dinner at a favourite Indian haunt...Harbour Indian then a stroll to the Rocks and Circular Quay to take in some of the now famous Vivid Sydney. Talking to friends who have ben caught it seems the best time to visit (unless you are happy to be with thousands) is mid week.....we managed to get around to all the main highlights and decided (as it was a school night LOL) to skip the Botanic Gardens (for this year) ad just head home via the Manly Ferry where again we were reminded just how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful city.

Just a few pics I took on the night with my phone...WARNING - photo overload!

Next year will definitely venture into the other areas of Vivid, the photos I have seen of Taronga Zoo and the Botanic gardens are amazing....always nice to have something to look forward to...right!

February 09, 2016

After a lovely few days in Santa Barbara it was time to head back 'to the big smoke' and we hit the road for Los Angeles via the Camarillo Outlets (definitely worth a stop wonderful outlet shopping). Taylor had arranged some tickets to see the taping of a show in Hollywood - the very talented James Corden and his Late Late Night Show...lots of fun and worth the effort to get to Hollywood on time!

Our accommodation in Los Angeles was at The Belamar Hotel, a fabulous hotel close to Manhattan Beach and across the road from a shopping centre..great staff, great service it tickets all our boxes and we would definitely stay there again!

When researching our holiday I discovered Bikes & Hikes LA, an eco tourism company that arranges bike tours around Hollywood...we had a great day and visited many iconic landmarks along the way.

Top of Lilly's MUST DO list was a hike up Runyon Canyon not far from where we finished the bike tour. So, after 4 hours of cycling our way around Hollywood it was time to hike a canyon for 2 hours to take in the view form the top...boy did we sleep well that night!!! Although I was a little hesitant as to whether hiking up this dry and dusty canyon would be worth it, I was pleasantly surprised...the views from the top were amazing and the canyon was filled with hundreds of mostly locals getting in their daily exercise...quite refreshing for a nation that gets bagged a lot for being un healthy and overweight!

Last time we visited Los Angeles with the girls they were much younger and we visited Disneyland but felt they were a little too young to appreciate Universal Studios, so this time Universal Studios Hollywood was 'on the list'.....

So there we go another fabulous family holiday...we are now slowly getting into the routine back to work, school, uni and starting to dream about our next holiday.....where to next?????

February 04, 2016

We bid a fond farewell to a very rainy dreary San Fransisco and drove our rental car out of town towards Highway 1 ...destination Santa Barbara for a few nights. John did an amazing job driving not only on the 'wrong side of the road' but through the tragic weather, stopping along they way was sometimes impossible but we managed a few photographs...

Sadly what is usually a picture perfect drive along the coast with quaint seaside towns like Monterey and Carmel to stop in was spoilt by unusual wild weather, strong winds, rain, sleet and even rock falls! Just north of the famous Hearst Castle we came across a long stretch of beach literally covered in elephant seals...late November the adult male seals weighing over two tons arrive at the rookery and fight for a portion of the beach, pregnant females begin arriving around mid-December forming harems around the alpha males. Birthing takes place usually a week after they arrive, bonding between mum and pup is done by vocalising so its a pretty noisy environment. About four weeks after they are born the young pup is weaned, the mum mates again then heads off to sea - family life is over.

Santa Barbara is a beautiful place to visit, we stayed in a lovely hotel opposite the beach, Hotel Milo was the perfect destination for a few days and we enjoyed the pool and hot tub, did lots of walking, visited the Old Mission, rode bikes, shopped (of course) and discovered a wonderful place for happy hour and a beach sunset!

The Boathouse @ Hendrys Beach is just a short drive away, and is definitely worth a visit...especially during "happy hour" from 3pm to watch the sunset!

Hope you are enjoying my holiday snaps....back in a few days with our last stop..Los Angeles...bye for now x

February 01, 2016

Our wonderful holiday to America is over and we have returned to reality with a load thud! The past few days have been a blur of washing and getting organised for the start of the school year, back to work etc so today has been the first day I have had to catch my breath and sort through some photos! Typically here are thousands of photos to sort through (ah the benefits of modern technology...remember the days you used to have to wait to get the photos developed with your fingers crossed that at least some would be semi-decent??!)

The girls were somewhat excited about the trip, they have been saving madly all year and couldn't wait to hit the shops, even with the exchange rate not being in our favour...nothing was going to stop them LOL!

First stop was San Francisco!! John and I noticed quite a few changes since our last visit but still something special about this wonderful city. We stayed right in the heart of the city at the Warwick Hotel, a boutique type hotel that was a few blocks away fromUnion Square and the cable car stop, the perfect location. Although the weather wasn't perfect during our stay (overcast and drizzly most days) we had the best time... The Farmers Market @ The Ferry Building was the perfect way to begin our San Francisco adventure, we would definitely recommend a trip across to Alcatraz Island (make sure you book in advance), we enjoyed a cocktail and amazing view of the city skyline @Top of the Mark, part of the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel, explored Fishermans Wharf, walked down Lombard Street, rode the cable cars and LOVED our tour with Electric Tour Company riding segways through the streets of San Fransisco was a definite highlight!

One surprising discovery on our tour of Alcatraz was the amazing gardens that were cared for by the families of Alcatraz, their husbands were prison wardens and guards and whilst the children went by boat to San Fransisco to attend school the women tended to the gardens.

We surprised the girls with this Segway Tour, they absolutely LOVED IT and surprisingly even us 'oldies' managed to master it quite quickly and enjoy! Looking back on our USA adventure it was definitely a highlight and we would thoroughly recommend the tour company!

So there you go some photos and highlights from the first part of our adventure...watch this space for San Fransisco to Santa Barbara...just a few more thousand photos to sortt now...!